Fort Lauderdale/Dania Beach, Florida: Hotel Morrison FLL airport Ascend Hotel Collection

March 2019, Weekend, 1-night, 2-queen guestroom 219

Sunset from pool area at Hotel Morrison

Arrival and check-in

We arrived at this hotel in the morning after disembarking a cruise at Port Everglades. The hotel was extremely busy, and sold out for the night of our stay. After we checked our bags at the front desk, I inquired about accessing the pool area to wait. The agent provided a key, which quit working at noon, before we had been assigned a guestroom. We were able to check-in just after 1:45 PM. Several guests who arrived after we did, were able to check in sooner, because king guestrooms were cleaned first. We did not need a guestroom with two beds; however, the front desk agent told us he could not switch our room type since the hotel was sold out.

Hotel Morrison guestroom 219

Guestroom 219

The guestroom contained two queen size beds with plush bedding, a nightstand, flatscreen TV on an armoire, table with two chairs, a soft chair, a suitcase bench, small fridge, safe, ice bucket, and coffeemaker with supplies. Only one regular coffee had been provided, and we were able to get another from the housekeeper in the hall. 

Hotel Morrison guestroom 219

The guestroom was comfortable and clean. The large window overlooking the pool area was well soundproofed. We were very happy with the overall quality and amenities in the guestroom.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Crowne Plaza Airport/Cruise

February 2019, Weekend, 1-night, King guestroom #1019*

Sunset from pool area at FLL Crowne Plaza air and cruise port

The last time we stayed in this hotel, in 2012, I received an upgrade to the Presidential Suite! Although that did not happen this time, our guestroom was still very nice and comfortable. 

Airport shuttle, arrival, platinum perks

Getting here from the airport was almost as chaotic as arriving at the Miami airport. When I called for the shuttle, the person answering the telephone barely took the time to say, "We are very busy, so it might be 35 minutes," before he hung up. He did not ask how many guests, what airline, if we had our luggage, or anything. The shuttle bus driver must have been in the airport when I called, because he drove by with several guests about 10 minutes later. He apparently did not plan on stopping though. My husband waved when he drove by, and then the driver kept inching forward, as we walked alongside the van. We thought he was driving forward as far as he could, and that he would then stop. Instead, he started to drive away when he got to the end. I ran up to knock on the passenger window when he started to leave. He rolled down the window, and told us we were supposed to wave. Before I had a chance to respond, he turned to the passengers, and said, "Did you see anyone wave?" I looked at him incredulously, thinking, "Wow, really?!" Instead, I merely told him that we had thought he was inching forward to stop behind the first vehicle. We ended up getting on the bus, although our arrival experience was not starting out very well.

Hollywood, Florida/Holiday Inn-Ft. Lauderdale airport

February 2016,  Sunday, 1-night, 2 Queen beds Jr. suite 427

view of the pool from our table outside the restaurant

Arrival and platinum perks

We arrived at the Holiday Inn Ft. Lauderdale Airport in the morning, as we had just returned from a cruise, and did not have anywhere else to go after getting off the ship. I did not expect our room to be ready at 8:30 a.m., although I did expect better service than we received.

The agent at the front desk provided mediocre service when we arrived. He did not acknowledge my status, he did not say anything about what type of room I was waiting for, and he did not tell me when to expect the room to be ready. He said he would let me know when our room was ready. He did not request my telephone number. I knew my cell phone number was listed in my IHG profile, so I assumed he would call when our room was ready. This was not a problem for us in the beginning. We checked our luggage, and then went to the pool area. A few hours later (around 11:00 a.m.), I returned to the front desk, after I observed other guests checking in. The same employee merely told me it would be sometime after noon when I asked how long he thought it would be. A few hours after this, my husband went to the front desk. He happened to get the other employee working at the front desk, who then called someone after he checked the computer. This second employee then called us just before 2:00 p.m. to say that our room was ready. He, also, did not provide any hotel or guestroom information when he gave us the keys.

When I checked out the next morning, I told the front desk agent that no one had asked me which on-property Platinum perk I wanted when we checked in. I casually mentioned that it had been kind of busy the day before. He apologized, and said that is no excuse. He said he would take care of it, and the 500 bonus points posted to my account within 24 hours. I would probably have a different perception of this hotel, if this employee had been working the day we checked in.

I redeemed a free night certificate for a guestroom with two queen beds on the executive level for this stay. We did not receive a guestroom on the executive level, and I am not sure what room type we actually received, or if it was an upgrade--since no one told me anything! Read on for further information about the guestroom.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida -- FLL airport / Crowne Plaza

March 2012, Weekday points redemption, One-night, Presidential suite #1128

Status perks

I had reserved a regular suite with 25,000 points--the standard award amount, and received an upgrade to the presidential suite! 

Guestroom

The presidential suite at this hotel was a fabulous upgrade. The double door entrance, which entered into the living area, had a deadbolt lock. I was glad to see this since I have stayed in guestrooms with a double door that did not have a second lock before. 

entry & table

There was a full size fridge, small sink, microwave, and coffee maker in the kitchen area. The large living area contained a table with four chairs, a desk and chair, flat screen TV, couch, two soft chairs, and coffee table. There were plenty of outlets, and the Internet connection speed was good. All of the furnishings were comfortable and in good condition. The bathroom in the living area was located between the kitchen and living room. 

This suite contained a separate and spacious bedroom with a closing double door. There was a large suitcase bench at the foot of the bed, and a flat screen TV in the bedroom, in addition to a closet, night stands, lamps, and more outlets.

The spacious bathroom located in the bedroom included a walk-in shower--with a comfortable stone look grip floor, whirlpool tub, chic vanity, and separate toilet area. Everything was clean and well maintained.

whirlpool tub

Food & Beverage

We ordered a club sandwich to share at the bar, which was very good. It was prepared on sourdough bread with fresh ingredients, and was served with fries. The portion size was large enough to share. 

At check-in, we had received a coupon good for a free beverage with the purchase of an entree. When we were in the bar that evening, it sounded like this perk was given to all guests, and not just PCR members. The bartender let us use the coupon even though our food item was not a dinner entree. Two guests next to us used their coupon for similar food items, and after they ordered two items, the bartender deducted two beverages from their tab.

Pool

The pool is located on the 5th floor, as is the bar and restaurant. The pool chairs were comfortable, and there was cushioned seating on the patio outside the pool area. The only thing we thought the pool area was missing was a whirlpool tub, and since we had one of those in our guestroom, this did not impact our stay. We were staying at this hotel pre-cruise, and we could see the cruise ships from the patio.

Misc. and overall

The hotel shuttle was very prompt when we arrived at the airport. The hotel offers a shuttle to the cruise port; however, it is less expensive to take a taxi. Our cab ride was less than $10 before tip. Taxis do not wait at this hotel because there is no place to park. If I had known this, I would have called down ahead of time, so we wouldn't have had to wait after checking out. The wait was less than 7 minutes (the time quoted by the front desk agent), so it wasn't too bad. And, if you don't call the front desk or bell services for a cab beforehand, you may get lucky to have one nearby anyway. We met some guests at this hotel who were going on the same cruise that we did, and they told us that there happened to be a cab at the hotel when they checked out.

I observed only one restaurant very close to the hotel--Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza. If you don't mind walking, as we don't, there are other restaurants and shopping just under one mile away. We walked to the Publix shopping center (to visit the wine store) behind the Embassy Suites on 17th St. You can cut over on 20th St. from N. Federal Highway (US 1). We walked to McDonalds on the corner of 17th St. and N. Federal Highway for breakfast. Both of these walks were just under one mile one-way.

I was happy with everything at this hotel--the service, room comfort, location, food, pool area, and bar. At the last minute, I had changed our plans from a Jr. Suite at the airport Hilton (also with 25,000 points) to this Crowne Plaza because I had read some bad reviews about the Hilton. I was somewhat worried before our stay because the pool area at the Hilton looked tropical and grand. After our stay, I was happy with our decision to stay at the Crowne Plaza instead.